[advocacy-discuss] [Fwd: Re: [ug-discuss] OpenSolaris User Group Growth]

[Jim Grisanzio]

keith bierman wrote:
> 
> On Jun 26, 2007, at 2:40 PM, Peter Tribble wrote:
> 
>>
>> Given that engineers travel anyway, don't we just need a better way
>> of connecting traveling engineers with user group meetings?


I agree. And I'm going to try to figure this out /without/ being a 
travel agent or a speakers' bureau. I'm serious. :) I used to do that 
and I can't do it anymore (won't actually), but there seems to be at the 
very least a lot of low hanging fruit to make some connections. That 
would be cool. Also, there are a lot of engineers spread out all over 
the world, a lot of existing user groups, and a lot of groups we want to 
create .... huge opportunity here. :)


> That is a very good point. In the olden days of the Sun User Group,  and 
> my travels for various standards ... I used to almost always  connect up 
> with a user group in whatever city we had a standards  meeting in.
> 
> So what we need is a single data repository with the User group  
> locations and contacts for arranging talks. Then encourage all  
> engineers (or even non-engineers who  have something interesting to  say 
> ;>) to touch base when traveling.


Well, we have a list of groups/lists/contacts, but doesn't it have to be 
actively managed since there are so many on each side?


> Within SMI, make such contacts a measurable goal for "grading"  
> purposes. Also, within SMI perhaps to provide a small pool of travel $ $ 
> to handle the cases where an engineer is *close* to but not quite  where 
> the OSUG is.

Yes, there are budget issues to work, but if an engineer is near an OSUG 
on an already existing trip, I think we can play the role of facilitator 
to make connections to extend a trip, for instance. And I'm happy do 
document the importance of this for grading purposes for management 
(mine and the engineer's). But for a trip that is outside of an already 
existing trip, my budget would have to cover that. In other words, if 
someone is traveling to London already and they stay an extra day, I 
think that's reasonable to come out of that current trips budget. But if 
   we decide to send a guy to London specifically for a UG purpose, then 
that shouldn't come out of that group's budget. It should come out of 
the budget that I'm proposing.  Separate, in other words.

Jim
-- 
Jim Grisanzio http://blogs.sun.com/jimgris